Getting Cabin Fever?

A few ideas for a social beer with buddies to add to your Covid coping toolbox.

I was thinking of calling this one The Red Neck. The bigger the truck the better!

The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to go from an issue affecting other people in distant parts of the globe to knocking on the front door almost overnight. And, now that it’s here, social distancing and self-isolating have become a social imperative. In some areas even a legal requirement. Of course this has had a significant impact on our ability to socialize and feel connected with family and friends. But just because we’ve got to maintain physical separation from one another doesn’t mean that we should feel emotionally disconnected. We might not be able to meet up with some friends for a pint at the local pub but that doesn’t mean that there’s no room for social beer consumption! So, in the spirit of preserving physical separation while maintaining our social connections, here’s a few ideas on how you can still crush a few beers with your buds.

The inspiration for the Wilson Beer. I tried, but couldn’t find one where Tim the Tool Man was crushing a brew… it was a family friendly show after all.

The Wilson Beer: For those of us that were watching sit-coms in the 90’s this one will make immediate sense. Just have a cold beer and a neighborly chat from opposite sides of the fence. Of course not all fences are created equal, you’ll want to avoid the chain-link trap.

The Wilson Beer in action. A variation on The Wilson is the The Gardner. Just sub out the fence for a tall hedge.

The Street Beer: A lot like the fence beer but utilizing a roadway for separation. Of course you’ll need to find the right roadway: an alley that’s close to you or your friends’ house is ideal. Why an alley and not just any street? Well alleys are a bit more private, narrower and have less traffic than a regular street for a more intimate public drinking experience. However, the street in right out front works good as well.

A well-spaced Street Beer in front of my buddies place. His driveway served as an additional ‘street’ allowing us to crank up the numbers.

Balconies are ideal for social distancing but not the easiest to set-up with buds unless they’re your neighbor.

Balcony Beer: This one’s for the urbanites out there that just don’t have access to a nice suburban alley. Ideally you can access a couple of side-by-side balconies for a cold beer, great views and, of course, lots of personal space.

Everyone nicely spaced around a raging fire. Perfect for social distancing so long as the fire hazard rating is low.

Bon-Fire Beer: The key here is a big fire. Don’t burn the house down of course! But the bigger the fire the farther away everyone can sit, making social distancing easy and natural.

The Digital Beer: This 21^st century solution may require more equipment but no one has to leave their living room! Video chat with a buddy from your phone, maybe mirror it to your TV if you’ve got the appropriate gadgets. Want to invite another friend over? Call them from your laptop and set it on the couch.

Stay well everyone. If you come up with some other great ideas be sure to send me a photo, I’d love to see them!